Photo by Rahul Rapra (Pexels)
When watching Indian dramas with the background of everyday life, we certainly know that India is one of the countries that still uphold the customs and religions of their ancestors. There are many celebrations in sacred places such as temples that are used as religious symbols by the local community. One of which is the Ganges River. The Ganges River itself is one of the three largest rivers in the world which flows 2,700 Kilometers from the Himalayas to the Bay of Banggala in Northern India and Bangladesh.
This river is one of the main water sources for local residents to meet their daily needs ranging from bathing, cooking, and washing. Those who are Hindus also make this river one of the holy places incarnation of the goddess Ganga as the goddess of fertility and cleansing sins used to perform traditional rituals and ceremonies.
The Ganges River is considered the holiest river of the three rivers recognized by the government including the Krishna River, the Ganges River, and the Yamuna River. This makes a lot of religious activities carried out on the Ganges River such as dumping the ashes of the bodies that have been cremated since it is believed to be able to take them to heaven.
Bathing in the Ganges river is one of the sacred activities according to Hindu beliefs in India. Bathing in this river brings good luck, grants forgiveness of one's sins, and facilitates moksha or liberation from the cycle of life and death.
One of the interesting rituals in the Ganges River is the Kumbh Mela, a religious ritual celebrated four times in a period of 12 years. This ritual is in the form of a shared bath which is usually carried out in four locations namely, Haridwar, Prayag, Ujjain, and Nashik. Followed by millions of Hindus in India. Apart from major traditions such as the Kumbh Mela, there are still many smaller religious traditions that are carried out separately on the Ganges river.
This river is also a tourist icon that is visited by many foreign tourists. Due to the strategic location of the Ganges River, those who want to go to the Delta must pass the road that directly shows the Ganges River. On the banks of this river, temples are also built as places of worship for the Hindu community there.
But we need to know that although the Ganges is considered the holiest river in India, this river is also included in the list of the most polluted rivers in the world. Pollution in the Ganges is caused by several reasons, including human and industrial waste. Chemicals for agriculture flow directly into rivers, along with dirty water from settlements. Although the people of India know that the Ganges River is polluted by factory waste from the city, people still use the water of the Ganges River for daily and other purposes.
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